I feel like we haven’t done this one properly, so here goes…
After the box office smash of Superman I & II, the Salkinds make plans for another double-header with Superman III for 1983 and Supergirl for 1984. However, their plans hit a snag when director Richard Lester unexpectedly bows out, leaving the producers scrambling to fill the director’s chair to make their summer release.
The decision eventually is made to introduce Supergirl in part III before sending her off into her solo adventure, giving the chance for the two Kryptonian heroes to share the screen.
Relief comes in the form of director Irvin Kershner, hot off of helming The Empire Strikes Back a few years earlier, who opts out of directing a James Bond movie to take on the Man of Steel instead.
Adventure runs in the family
SUPERMAN III: THE SUPERGIRL FROM KRYPTON (1983)
Director: Irvin Kershner
Y'know, when I first posted this, I suddenly felt bad about demoting the great Richard Pryor, venerated comic actor AND Superman fan, from 2nd billing to a glorified cameo as himself (even if it's "for the best"). That would make for a rough conversation ("Listen, the producers are going in a different direction...")
To make it up to him, I'd be down to take the Gus Gorman material that's gonna be excised, and just make that its own movie. A slapstick comedy where an unemployed sad sack turns out to be a superhuman computer whiz and gets himself mixed up in mid-80s corporate shenanigans? I can dig it. Let Richard Lester direct the sh** outta that movie.
SUPERMAN : LAST SON OF KRYPTON( 1991)
Director : Richard Donner
Producer : Jon Peters and Peter Guber
Story by : Cary Bates
Screenplay : Tom Mankiewicz and Sam Hamm View attachment 72003
Project History
After the disappointing performance of Superman 4 : The Quest For Peace , The Salkinds still have plans for another installment in the franchise.
However , plans for a 5th Superman remain stagnant , and the project seemingly has no movement.
With the success of 1989's Batman, and the rights to the character firmly back with Warner Brothers.
The studio looks to capitalize on Batman's success with a rejuvenated, Superman franchise.
With the Salkinds much reduced role in the franchise , the studio decides to approach Lethal Weapon director, Richard Donner, to return to the director's chair.
With the Salkinds out of controlling authority, and with Donner having become a director with clout, he agrees to return to the franchise, after a decade's absence.
The plan is to go into production at London's Pinewood Studios , in addition to shooting in New York and Los Angeles for a new , updated look on Metropolis.
The filming commences in the Spring of 1990 , with a Christmas 1991 release date.
Script
For years, Producers had planned on introducing Brainiac as a potential foe, only choose other villains.
The film would also feature Lobo , playing a much more sadistic and menacing bounty hunter hired by Brainiac to capture The Last Son Of Krypton .
The final script would also incorporate supporting characters who featured prominently in Superman magazine such as Emil Hamilton, Cat Grant,
and Sam Lane, in addition to returning supporting cast members such as Perry White and Jimmy Olsen.
The plan is for the film to return to the heart and grounded emotions of the first two films, while also leaning into the modern day comics .
The film would finally resolve the on again off again Superman and Lois relationship , and would force Clark to confront the prospect of denying himself a happily ever after with Lois, particularly as tensions between the two grow .
All the while, the emergence of Brainiac and Lobo serve as reminders of the path he has chosen , a path, which may end costing him everything.
While the return of Lex Luthor is briefly considered , the idea is quickly abandoned in favor of showcasing the two new adversaries.
Casting
With Donner back on board Reeve and Kidder quickly follow , and with a much stronger script than 3 and 4, the pair feel confident that the production will get it right this time.
While a wide variety of actors are considered for the role of Brainiac , Donner ultimately decides go with British actor Alan Rickman,
hot off the heels of Die Hard and currently film Robin Hood : Prince Of Thieves.
The Part of the Brash yet menacing Lobo goes to Beauty And The Beast actor Ron Perlman after Mel Gibson declines the role .
The rest of the cast is filled out by Alan Arkin as Emil Hamilton and veteran actor Robert Mitchum, as General Sam Lane , and Christine Baranski ,as Lois Lane's office rival Cat Grant.
SUPERMAN FOREVER ( 1994)
Director : Richard Donner
Producer : Jon Peters
Screenplay : Andrew Kevin Walker
Music : John Williams
Project History
With the Smashing success of Superman 5, Warner Brothers greenlit development for a 6th Superman film .
They wanted Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve back, which would be no small order .
Both had publicly stated they would only return if they had another Story worth telling .
The Actor and The Director wanted to avoid the fate of other franchises ,which didn't quit while they were ahead .
With the Superman tv series already on the air , it would take alot to convince the star and the director to return for a 6th outing.
Ultimately, Reeve and Donner would agree to return, in exchange for Reeve getting a percentage of the films profits to donate to a charity of his choosing, Donner , for his part, would have full creative control .
Shooting for the film would begin in 1993 for a Christmas 1994 release date.
Script
As Reeve and Donner mulled returning to the series , Producers looked to the current comics to find the right story which had an emotional truth, while at the same time,
was compelling enough to be a 2 hour film.
While the recent Death Of Superman storyline was a strong possibility , Donner was more attracted to the Alan Moore one shot story For The Man Who Has Everything.
The It's A Wonderful Life style story , provided the emotional weight that Donner was looking for , while at the same time , created an opportunity to bring in new characters while revisiting alternate versions of familiar faces .
The story's villain, Mongul, also presented an interesting opportunity, as a truly sadistic, and cunning opponent, to The Man Of Steel
Donner felt the story provided the perfect opportunity to end the series on a high note, by having the character see what his life could have been like , and why the world needs Superman.
Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker was given the daunting task of fleshing out the one shot comic , while at the same time, adapting it the continuity of the films.
Firstly, it was decided By Donner to exclude Batman and Wonder Woman from the film version .
Unlike the comics, Donner want this film to be a Superman story as opposed to a Superman story featuring non Superman characters .
Instead , Lois, Emil Hamilton, and Supergirl would serve as the characters fighting to bring Clark out of his comatose , dreamworld.
Lyla Lerrol would feature prominantly as Kal El's wife , whose warmth and grace would serve to tempt Kal El into staying in the dreamworld .
Walker also decided that Kal El and Lyla's child should be aged up and portrayed as a young radical , defiant of his father , and plotting to release the Martyred War Hero General Zod from the Phantom Zone.
Walker wanted to demonstrate that, while on the surface Kal's life on Krypton seems perfect , underneath , there is all is not what it seems.
The story would bring back Jor El, in this reality, as a disgraced sciencetist estranged from Kal El and his family.
Ultimately Kal El's Son and other Kryptonian radicals succeed in Freeing Zod , and the two unite to stage a coup against the government , putting them on the opposite side of Elietes like Kal El and Lyla.
However, once Kal's son realizes the extent of Zod's plans he turns on Zod , resulting in Zod killing him , and breaking the hearts of Kal and Lyla.
But Walker wanted to go beyond just focusing on Krypton in Kal El's dream.
Donner and Walker felt that Kal also had to see what Earth be like in his absence.
In this alternate Earth , Lex Luthor would be an autocratic ,and corrupt, President Of The United States, who would jail Lois Lane, and the members of the Daily Planet .
In the real world , Lois and Emil Hamilton are in a race against time to cure Superman, while Supergirl fights back Mongul's forces during their invasion of Earth.
Ultimately, Superman defeats Zod , sparing his life , reconciles with his father, says goodbye to Lyla, and awakens from his slumber ,.
He faces Mongul and his forces, and saves Earth from Mongul's rule, with help from Supergirl.
In the end Clark Proposes to Lois , bringing their arc to a close , as Mongul is imprisoned in his own dreamworld, via the Black Mercy .
Casting
With the regular Superman cast returning , Donner sets about filling out the rest of the cast of new ,and old faces, from the franchise's history.
After a substantial salary raise, the reclusive Marlon Brando returns to play Jor El , in a much bigger role than in the original film.
After being absent from both Superman Last Son Of Krypton , Gene Hackman returns in the role of President Lex Luthor in Kal El's dream world.
Terrence Stamp returned in the role of an aged Zod , while Helen Slater reprised the role of Supergirl, a decade after she donned the cape .
The next roles to be filled were the key roles of Mongul , Lyla, and Kal's idealistic son.
For Mongul, Donner turns to veteran actor Powers Boothe , feeling he has the right charisma and physical presence to play the larger than life villain.
For the role of Layla , Donner has only one person in mind, his Lethal Weapon female lead Rene Russo , feeling she had the right amount of warmth, wisdom , and spunk to play Kal's kryptonian wife.
For the role of Kal's Son, Donner turns to actor Ethan Hawke , for whom he feels fits the bill of a younger Chris Reeve , while at the same time could be the son of Renee Russo.
Alan Arkin reprised his role as Emil Hamilton.
Reception
The film is met with a positive response from the critics , with many dubbing it the most emotional of the Superman films since Superman 2 .
Many praise the return of Hackman, Brando, and Stamp, while Slater's Supergirl performance is given higher marks than it was a decade earlier.
The film performs well over the holiday season and serves as the perfect lead in to Tim Burton's upcoming Batman Continues .
While there are rumblings of adapting The Death Of Superman as the next film, Reeve states publicly , that , is his final tenue as Superman .
The actor feels its time for some else to carry the torch.
Ultimately, Superman Forever ends up making more than the last film , and serves as a final end note on the Donner Superman saga.
The Cast
Superman/ Clark Kent : Christopher Reeve
Mongul : Powers Boothe
Lyla Lerrol : Rene Russo
Kal El and Lyla's Son : Ethan Hawke
President Of The United States Lex Luthor : Gene Hackman
Lois Lane : Margot Kidder
Jor El : Marlon Brando
Zod : Terrence Stamp
Supergirl / Kara Zor El : Helen Slater
Emil Hamilton : Alan Arkin
BATMAN CONTINUES ( 1995)
Director : Tim Burton
Producer : Jon Peters and Peter Guber
Screenplay : Andrew Kevin Walker
Project History
In the aftermath of the polarizing Batman Returns, Warner Brothers studio is wary about letting Burton helm the next Batman film.
On the one hand , Returns was successful , and Burton had helped shepherd in a new lucrative franchise of films.
On the other hand, the last film alienate many parents and received criticism .
While some execs at Warners were intent on letting Burton go, others felt that throwing Burton overboard may be unnecessary.
While it was a close call, the studio decided to stick with Burton , feeling that by the time the next film would be released, many of the bad feelings would be forgotten.
Still, the studio would not give him the same free reign as with Returns.
The studio had to walk a tightrope between the artist and the audience.
Eventually , in the Spring of 1993, Burton signed on as director with shooting to begin in New York, Los Angeles, and London in 1994, with a Summer 1995 release date.
Script
The plan for what was to be titled , Batman Continues, was to deliver a more psychological and character driven, Batman film .
Batman would find himself in a moral quandary facing off against three villains who each represent different sides of his own personality, and each of whom, to an extent , he could empathize with.
The villains would challenge his sense of justice, and purpose.
The villains in question, would be Two Face, the former DA and Bruce's Best friend, The Riddler, a self styled avenger seeking , and Mr. Freeze a widower with nothing left to lose .
Two Face would be a dark mirror of Batman , deciding fate of those he punishes
Riddler , would represent what Bruce could become: isolated, lonely, with resentment toward a world which has done him wrong.
And Mr Freeze, would represent the pain and anguish Bruce feels as a man in mourning , unable to move forward with his life , frozen in one moment in time.
All three villains in one way or another, are connected by crime boss Rupert Thorne who, himself, is a product of Gotham's failure institutions.
Complicating Matters, the Dark Knight would be faced against three independent threats , stretching's him to his mental, emotional, and psychical ,limits.
Two Face presents an emotional challenge to Bruce, given their friendship and close allegiance .
Riddler presents a psychological challenge whose always a step ahead of the Dark Knight bringing life in Gotham to a stand still.
Freeze represents a psychical threat, whose suit gives him enhanced strength and a stamina to outlast the dark knight in a physical confrontation.
Further complicating Batman's life, is Silver St. Cloud, who , in this iteration , would be a criminal profiler for the GCPD , whose past and pathos would be as complex as Bruce's was.
Silver works with the normally evasive Batman in order to stop to three criminals .
Silver also has a past with Thorne, but wants him taken down by the book.
Robin, a character who had been excised from both Batman and Batman Returns, was once again rejected by Burton , feeling that his character seemed out of place in his Batman universe, and for this story.
Casting
Keaton was the first actor to be cast after a significant salary raise .
Michael Gough and Pat Hingle reprised their roles as Alfred and Gordon respectively.
For the role of Two Face, Burton decided not to bring back Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent .
Instead, Burton wanted to go with a younger and more intense acting talent for the role of the troubled and vengeful DA.
Peter's suggested Boyz N The Hood and What's Love Got To Do With It , actor Laurence Fishburne, whose star was rising in Hollywood.
Burton loved the suggestion, and when offered ,Fishburne accepted the role.
For the role of Riddler, Burton wanted to go away from a 60s show style characterization, and instead wanted to go for more of a low key psychopath whose deadly Riddles and traps would strike fear in the heart of Gotham.
Consequently, the idea of getting Robin Williams for the part fell by the waste side, and Burton cast John Malkovich , who had played as similarly disgruntled role in In The Line Of Fire.
For the role of Mr. Freeze, Burton wanted an actor who could play an emotionless machine with an underlying rage beneath the character's icy surface .
While Daniel Day Lewis passed on the part , Ralph Fiennes of Schindler's List was eventually cast in the part .
For the role of Silver St Cloud, the producers wanted a big name , and Burton wanted an actress who could exude the same complexity and beauty that Pfeifer had in Batman Returns.
Producer Jon Peters had one actress in mind : Sharon Stone.
Stone had become a hot commodity in the years since Basic Instinct , and Burton felt she was the perfect match for Keaton's Batman and Bruce Wayne.
WONDER WOMAN ( 1997)
Director : Roland Emmerich
Producers : Jon Peters and Joel Silver
Screenplay : Lee and Janet Bachlor Scott
Music : James Horner
Project History
With the Success of Batman Forever , and with Superman Lives in development , Warner Brothers studios feels its necessary to exploit more of their catalog DC of characters.
While a Flash film has been in development since the 80s, a character who has yet to make her big screen debut, is Wonder Woman.
Despite the popularity of her live action tv series a generation earlier , No plans ever materialized in developing a feature film.
Now , with Warner Brothers 2 marquee characters returning to the big screen , Producers Jon Peters and Joel Silver , want to move forward with a Wonder Woman live action film, and potentially , a whole new franchise.
The film is envisioned to be a Wonder Woman for Generation X , so , the idea of the 70s show serving as a launch pad for the new film is off the table.
This would be a new Diana Prince for the 90s, unrelated to the 70s series , which meant a new Wonder Woman ,and a younger cast.
At the same time, producers wanted to use the 78 Superman film, as a model in casting a relative unknown as lead, surrounded by more established actors.
While Peters and Silver meet with several directors about helming the new project , they ultimately want Roland Emmerich, who delivered a big win with Independence Day.
Emmerich demonstrated that he could balance huge , action, set pieces, with more grounded human moments and light hearted comedy.
Emmerich agrees on helming the high profile project.
Principle photography begins in 1995, with the filming ultimately completed in 1996 for a fall of 1997 release date.
Script Batman Forever screenwriters Lee and Janet Bachelor Scott are hired to pen the first Wonder Woman feature film.
The Couple follow the comics closely with regards to Diana's origin ,and her encounter with Naval Pilot Steve Trevor ,on Paradise Island.
However, Producers want to modernize the story and set it in the 1990s as opposed to the 1940s, in yet another break from the original 70s series.
The Producers didn't want to have to do a time jump , and felt it would be less expensive to set the story in modern day ,than to spend money on 1940s clothes, cars, and other accessories.
The story would revolve around Diana's relationship with her friend, and rival ,Artemis , who is cast out of Themyscira, after an attempted coup on Queen Hippolyta.
The fallen warrior makes her way to our world, and with her superior strength, stamina, and intelligence , embraces her godlike abilities with plans to dominate the world of man,
And rule it as it's Queen.
It's up to Diana to stop Artemis , being the only being on the planet capable of Stopping her.
Once Diana comes to Earth, the story plays up its fish out of water elements ,as she acclimates herself to the modern 90s world, and befriends Julia and Vanessa Kaptais, two characters from the comics.
Diana also begins to fall for the dashing and brash Steve Trevor .
In the end, Diana defeats her fellow Amazon for all the world to see, and is hailed as it's new champion .
Ultimately, Diana must return to Themyscira to imprison Artemis , as she is too much of a threat to the rest of the world to be left on Earth.
While it appears Diana and Steve will never see each other again, Diana returns to Earth at the end of the film , after spending a year back on Paradise Island.
Her mother can tell her heart ,and her focus, are elsewhere, and feels it's time that Diana finally leave home , and chart her own path.
Diana returns to earth , and shows up in the Pentagon wearing glasses and her hair in a bun , reintroducing herself to a smiling Steve Trevor as Diana Prince , as credits roll
Casting
Emmerich insists on going for an unknown, despite several high profile actresses such as Brooke Shields and Xena : Warrior Princess actress Lucy Lawless expressing interest in the part.
While several actresses test , including Mila Jovovich, Emmerich is ultimately impressed with French Polynesian actress Karina Lombard .
The striking 5'9 beauty, had already had experience with high profile films such as Legends Of The Fall, yet was not a household name.
Emmerich believed she had the right blend of Wisdom, Charisma, and Presence, to be the next Wonder Woman.
The role of Steve Trevor would have gone to Lombard's Legends Of The Fall costar Brad Pitt , had he not passed on the role.
Instead , executives at Warner Brothers suggested an up and coming actor who had recently costarred with Sandra Bullock in A Time To Kill, actor
Matthew McConaughey.
McConaughey's charm ,acting talent, and ability to do comedy, made him the perfect fit for Lombard's Wonder Woman.
For the role of Artemis, Wonder Woman's friend and rival , Emmerich cast Species lead Natasha Henstridge, .
Not only did she look like an amazon, but she also had enough charisma ,and presence, to play an evil warrior, with a sadistic sense of humor.
For the role of Diana's Mother, The Producers wanted a big name which could entice skeptical filmgoers .
Sigourney Weaver accepted the role of Hippolyta signing a two picture deal .
The roles of Julia and Vanessa would be filled by Academy Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis , adding sage wisdom with a sense of humor, and teen star Claire Danes.
Rounding out the cast was Top Gun and Alien actor Tom Skerritt ,who did double duty filming his series Picket Fences and Wonder Woman and the same time.
Reception
With the film releasing the fall after the much derided Batman And Robin, The studio had alot riding on the film, and feared that it would be rejected.
Much to their surprise the film became a sleeper hit in the Autumn and Winter of 1997 , attracting a heavy female and family audience .
Through word of mouth , the following for the film grew and the film ultimately performed well .
WB breathed a sigh of relief , and felt confident enough to greenlight a sequel for the fall of 2000.
The Cast
Wonder Woman / Diana Prince : Karina Lombard
Steve Trevor : Matthew McConaughey
Artemis : Natasha Henstridge
Hippolyta : Sigourney Weaver
Julia Kapatelis : Olympia Dukakis
Vanessa : Claire Danes
Phil Darnell : Tom Skerritt
GREEN LANTERN ( 1996)
Director : Ron Howard
Screenplay : David Koepp
Project History
While characters such as The Flash, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, had already been exploited, in one form or another ,on film and tv , the prospect of a Green Lantern film ,seemed dim.
The studio didn't quite know where it fit .
Was it Star Wars , or was it more like Superman The Movie ?
Was it a superhero film, or was it a sci fi space adventure complete with alien races and strange worlds ?
The Studio feels their may be potential , but at the same time , is concerned the property won't connect with the average 1990s filmgoer .
In order for the film to catch fire , it would need a name to market it .
In this case, Warner Brothers wanted to go the Batman route , and pick a well known actor to generate buzz around the film.
One actor ,who surprisingly expresses interest in the project, is Tom Cruise .
Warner Brothers studios jumps at the chance to woo Cruise over to the project .
With his wife Nicole Kidman already filming Batman Forever, The prospect of having Cruise also boosting one of their unexploited properties, seemed to good an opportunity to pass up.
Cruise is willing to play ball, but the superstar wants script and director approval, in addition to a cut of the films box office haul .
Cruise doesn't want the film to be silly, or campy , and the actor wants to see to it the project is as good as it possibly can be.
The Studio agrees to Cruise's terms, believing that having Cruise on board increased the films odds of it being successful.
With Cruise on board , the actor approaches his friend and his Far And Away director , Ron Howard to direct the film.
Given the directors experience with Sci Fi in films such as Cocoon , and given the development of his real life NASA drama Apollo 13, Howard seems like an ideal fit.
Howard eventually agrees to helming the project with a Summer 1996 release
Script
Cruise brings on his Mission Impossible Scribe David Koepp, to pen the Green Lantern story.
The plan is to streamline many of the more expansive, and complicated, aspects of the Lantern Corp mythology, and to instead ,focus on Hal Jordan's origin,
His on again off again relationship with Carol Ferris, his strained relationship with his older brother James, and his rivalry with his comic book arc nemesis, Sinestro.
Koepp makes Green Lantern a character piece about how Hal confronts his flaws, his past, and his baggage which prevent him from moving forward , and truly becoming the man his Father meant for him to be .
When the ring choses him , he's forced to become not just a hero , but an adult, in many ways.
Cruise feels that the story needs to balance the human relatable elements, with the more fantastical , sci fi elements.
To that end Sinestro, a corrupted Lantern, serves to represent Hal's ultimate nemesis on several levels.
The film ends with Hal coming to terms with his past and defeating Sinestro , albeit barely, destroying the villain .
Hal then commits himself to being Earth's sole protector , despite wanting to abandon the ring in the films second act.
He makes amends with his Brother, and finally decides to commit to Carol Ferris.
The script leaves the door open to address the greater aspects of the comic mythology such as the Lantern Corps, Sectors, and Oa , in a potential sequel.
Casting
With Cruise already in place , Howard works on filling out the rest of his relatively small cast.
For the role of Sinestro, Howard casts British actor Jeremy Irons, famous for his takes on unsavory yet compelling villains such as the biopic Reverse Of Fortune, and the drama Damaged .
For the role of Carol Ferris, Cruise recommends A Few Good Men and Ghost star , Demi Moore .
Ron Howard also casts Beau Bridges and Bonnie Hunt as James and Susan Gordon , while casting John Gielgud as Abin Sur.
Reception
Ironically, Green Lantern's release date is pushed back to December, in order to avoid direct competition with Cruise's other film Mission Impossible.
The film is released in December of 1996 to generally positive reviews .
Despite the character's lack of a marquee name, Cruise's involvement ultimately drives a huge box office , in an era when a "movie star" could still open a film on name alone.
The film is a hit with general audiences , though many comic fans at the time are disappointed with the very limited scope of the Lantern mythology.
Still, Cruise's performance is praised by many fans who had been skeptical of his casting as Hal Jordan.
The film ultimately has a second life on cable and VHS .
While WB is interested in a sequel, Cruise will be tied up with several commitments for the next few years and considers his tenue as Hal Jordan a one and done film.
Project History
Plans for a Flash film go as far back as the 1980s, but are put on hold with the development of a live action tv series in the early 90s.
The failure of the one season series dissuades Warner Brothers studio from pursuing another Feature film, and the shelving of a Justice League tv pilot in 1997, also puts a damper the prospects of a Flash feature film.
However , there's still the belief that a Flash film , if done right, can be a viable franchise, and perhaps ,tide audiences over until the flailing Batman and Superman films get off the ground.
While execs feel the film is a gamble, Producers reassure them ,that it can be profitable if the film is kept relatively under budget .
With the state technology making leaps since the early part of the decade, Producers feel The Flash can be brought to the screen properly.
The Producers meet with several different directors who each have their own spins on the character.
Ultimately, it's Jumanji director Joe Johnston who signs on to helm The Flash feature film , which looks to a 1998 filming date with a 1999 release date.
Script
Much like Pilot Episode of the 1990 series, the film is the origin story of Barry Allen, a young CSI , whose struck by lighting in and chemicals, which gives him super speed , and transform him into the Central City crime fighter , The Flash.
Unlike the tv series however, the film would feature Barry Allen's romance with reporter Iris West , and his battle against a deadly organized crime ring known as The Rogues, which is led by the mysterious Count Vertigo.
The Rogues organization have weapons and technology which have overwhelmed the Central City Police department , and have left the once cosmopolitan city, in a state of fear .
The newly empowered Barry Allen , takes it upon himself to stop this organized crime group as The Flash ,since he is the only man alive capable of taking down a group with such deadly weaponry.
Barry Allen is portrayed as earnest and sometimes awkward , but with a sense of humor, and heart of gold.
The film version of Allen is the last person you would expect to be a superhero.
He's not a mountain of muscles with a square jaw.
Instead he's described as lanky and a science nerd who uses his mind to get him out of tight situations
His love interest is reporter Iris West , who is the daughter of Barry's Mentor Detective Joe West.
When Joe West is murdered by The Rogues, after uncovering the leader of their organization , The Flash and Iris West decide to work together to bring down the Rogues once and for all .
While villains such as Professor Zoom , Killer Frost ,and The Turtle are originally considered for the film, The decision is made to pit The Flash against human foes with High tech weaponry, and to save The Flash's more fantastical Foes for a sequel.
Throughout the film , The Flash takes down each member of the Rogue's one by one , like a lawman in a western hunting down each member of an outlaw gang.
Eventually ,the Flash encounters the Rogues leader , Count Vertigo in a disorienting battle , which ends with vertigo falling to his death, and the rest of the Rogues taken to Iron Heights.
In the end , The Flash receives the key to the city, and vows to protect the city from the forces of evil, while Iris is able to find closure with the men who killed her father behind bars.
While Barry is eager to reveal his identity as the Flash to Iris, he soon realizes that in order to keep Iris, and his parents safe, The Flash must hide his identity .
In terms of tone , the plan is to have a retro, pulp- like tone , much like Batman 89 and Johnston's own film The Rocketeer.
This would be further emphasized with the world of the Flash having a retro 1950s look with a plan to film the movie in technicolor.
The Filmmakers wanted the film to recapture a bygone era while at the same time , combing the film with state of the art visual effects and action sequences
Casting
For the role of The Flash, Johnston casts against type and goes for That Thing You Do! and An American Werewolf In Paris actor Tom Everett Scott.
The Young actor's resemblance to Tom Hanks, and his charm make him the spitting image of The Flash that the filmmaker is going for.
For the role of Iris West , Producers lobby hard for Wild Things and Starship Troopers bombshell Denise Richards .
However, Johnston turns to the relatively young, and lesser known actress Piper Perabo to play Barry's one true love.
Perabo's girl next door spunk works as an interesting contrast to the often unsure, and goofy , Barry Allen.
For the roles of the Rogues, Johnston decides to stick to character actors as opposed to huge names .
Michael Rooker , Lance Henricksen, David Wenham, Matthew Lillard, and Richard Roxburgh are cast as the Heatwave, Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, The Trickster, and Count Vertigo , respectively.
David Andrews rounds out the cast as Joe West
Reception
When The Flash is released in October Of 1999 , the film is a moderate success making its money back .
Critics like the film overall, and feel it's a vast improvement over the campy Batman And Robin .
While some question the films retro 1950s like aesthetic , others like the throwback feel of 1950s sci , pulp action adventure films and comics.
The Film eventually finds an all new audience on VHS and cable , though plans for another Flash film remain up in the air.
While the film is a success overall, Warner Brothers had hoped the film would kickstart an all new franchise that could be as profitable as a potential Batman or Superman film.
As the decades go on , the film becomes a cult classic with many of it's diehard fans praising the film's visuals and it's heart .
The cast of the film make their way to Comic Cons, and conventions in the years that follow , to throngs of fans .
Many fans speculate about, " what could have ? ", regarding an unmade Flash sequel , through fan fiction and an eventual sequel in comicbook form in the Twenty Tens .
However , others are content with the first solo, stand alone attempt, at a Flash feature film.
Project History
By the mid 1980s , The prospects of DC comics characters recieving proper big and small screen adaptations were next to nilll.
While the Salkinds were producing Superman films , with diminishing returns, and while a proposed Batman film has been in development since the late 70s,
the vast majority of DC comics canon of heroes remain either in Saturday Morning Cartoons, or in the comics.
Director Walter Hill had attempted to tell his own comic book like story with Streets Of Fire , a rock and roll musical -drama, but that film was a box office disappointment.
By the mid 80s, Hill had faired better with the hit film 48 Hours .
By 1985 , Hill was once again interested in adapting a comic book property.
However , he wanted to gravitate towards a lesser known character for which he could mold his own vision and story around.
He didn't want capes and cowls .
He wanted to tell a detective thriller , with a Sam Spade like character who also happened to have powers .
In Martian Manhunter , he found all the elements he needed for his Superhero thriller .
The character was largely unknown to the general audience and the WB execs themselves, which gave hill a vast amount a leeway to tell the story he wanted, on a reasonable budget .
Ultimately, it was New Line Cinema who would take the duties of producing and distributing his gritty Alien, Cop thriller .
Hill Filmed the movie in Downtown Los Angeles, mostly at night , In The Summer of 1986 with a Fall 1987 release date.
Script
Hill largely ignored many of the comics mythology of The Martian Manhunter but kept the basics.
When we met John Jones he's been a successful LAPD detective known as " The Manhunter" , who has an uncanny ability to close cold cases and track down LA's deadliest
Criminals .
He's become a myth in the LA underworld, and Gang circles .
He's caught several killers , yet prefers to keep a lower profile and out of the headlines.
But John has a secret , he's a Martian refugee named J'onn J'onzz, who takes the form of a human in order to avoid detection .
J'onn is haunted by flashbacks of the wife and daughter he had on his home planet, and the White Martian massacre which took them away.
Here on Earth , J'onn feels he can do what he couldn't on Mars: avenge and protect those without power.
However as J'onn Prepares for retirement , a series of brutal slayings begin to occur throughout Los Angeles.
The victims have no connections.
They're both male and female .
And eye witness testimony identifies suspects whose features, and races vary dramatically.
On the record, these cases are unrelated and are apart of the general rise in violent crime .
Off the record , Diane Meade of the FBI is brought in to assist the LAPD in their hunt for what they believe is a series of related killings.
Warner is assigned to work with J'onn on the case , which J'onn wants to crack before his retirement.
However, the killing come into stark focus for J'onn once people he's known and saved end up the victims of the slaying.
It soon becomes clear that this killer wants his personal attention , and it also becomes clear , this killer may himself, be a Martian.
The film plays out like a typical 1980s , gritty adult thriller , in which the cop and their partner engage of a game of cat and mouse.
All the while, they seem to be the ones being chased .
The emotions of the case draw J'onn and Diane together, but J'onn fights their mutual attraction.
He considers himself a widower , and has been unable to move forward in the decades since the White Martian Massacre .
Eventually , the Killer is revealed to be The Same White Martian who massacred his family on Mars .
The White Martian Killer had recently put together that Detective Jones was really J'onn J'onzz and Martian he never forgot about.
In the film's climax, the two battle each other with J'onn Gravely wounded , thus exposing his true Martian form.
Ultimately it's Diane who finally kills the White Martian , and sees his transformation as well.
Warner eventually nurses Jonn back to health in secret .
Jonn is shocked when Diane assures him that she still wants to be with him, despite being a Martian.
In the end, the two decide to give their relationship and chance as he heads off into retirement.
Casting
With the films smaller budget and cast , only a few major roles need to be filled .
For the Role of The Martian Manhunter, Hill has only one actor in mind, Louis Gossett Jr.
The actor had recently won the Academy Award for An Officer And A Gentleman , and he was the actor he felt added gravitas and talent to play The Martian Manhunter.
For the role of Liz Warner , Hill chose Kelly McGillis ,hot off of the hit films Witness and Top Gun.
For the role of Dr. Edrel Hill cast Veteran actor Max Von Sydow.
And Finally , For The Role of the White Martian Killer , Hill cast Highlander's Clancy Brown as the imposing, and sadistic, White Martian.
Reception
The film was a sleeper hit in the Autum of 1987 , with many critics and audiences alike oblivious to the fact that the film was based on a comicbook character.
To critics it was another generic cop thriller but with an Alien spin to it .
Most audiences appreciated the film for what it was , a bigger budgeted, B- movie .
The film was in heavy rotation on Cinemax and Showtime throughout the 80s, and sold well on home video
While many comic purists ,at the time, disowned the film for straying far away from the comics , the film received a cult status ,
and eventually spawned 2 straight to video sequels, which attempted to adapt the source material more faithfully.
The Cast
Martian Manhunter / John Jones / J'onn J'onzz : Louis Gossett Jr.
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN : WORLD'S FINEST (1998)
Director : Joel Schumacer
Producer : Peter MacGregor Scott
Screenplay : Lee And Janet Bacholar Scott
Project History
With The Smashing Success of Batman Forever , In 1996 ,Producer Peter MacGregor Scott sees a forward thinking,
and golden opportunity : To use Batman Forever as a platform to jumpstart the Superman Franchise.
The film had already made reference to Metropolis, thus establishing that Batman and Superman existed in the same universe.
While no such illusions were made in the Burton era Batman films , Forever had now, albeit through passing reference, lay the ground work for the two heroes to meet.
With various Superman scripts( focusing on the death and rebirth of the hero ) remaining in constant turn around, the idea of using Batman as a springboard for a new Superman film hadn't occurred to execs and WB .
While some advised against the idea , others felt that a crossover film with two of it's marquee heroes would make an enormous amount of money , a serve to rejuvenate the Superman franchise .
Schumacer is approached with the idea , and while he has his own plans in mind for a Batman 4, he's intrigued by the idea of bringing these two pop culture icons to the big screen together for the first time .
Understanding that the film would be a team up as opposed to a Batman 4, Schumacer agrees to helm the project , and Batman Forever screenwriting couple Lee And Janet Bachelor Scott are brought in to pen the major undertaking.
Consequently, plans for Superman Reborn are put on hold while a Batman and Superman film is fast tracked .
Filming for the epic crossover begins in New York, Los Angeles, and London in the Spring of 1997, with an eye for a Summer 1998 , release date.
Script
In bringing the two heroes to the big screen, producers knew the threat had to be great enough to justify Batman and Superman needing to work together , despite their different personalities, world views, and life styles.
The Scott's knew they had to bring out the big guns, in terms of villains .
They knew that only their arc nemesis's would present a great enough threat to force the two very different heroes to work together.
The Scott's knew Lex Luthor was a given, but also knew , they had to revive The Joker, who had last appeared in the original Batman.
When the writers were given the greenlight to use the character, they were also given permission to use Harley Quinn, a popular character featured in Batman The Animated Series.
At the same time, they also wanted to revisit another iconic character who had first appeared in the Batman Returns, The Catwoman.
The film would focus on the unlikely alliance between Lex Luthor, and The Joker ,to wreak havoc on the lives of Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent , targeting the women they cared about : Lois Lane and Selina Kyle aka The Catwoman.
With Batman Forever being a loose sequel to Batman and Batman Returns, the screenplay would account for the seeming return from the dead of The Joker , and with an updated status of the presumed dead, Catwoman .
Superman however , would be a total reboot , unrelated to The Donner Films and The Lois And Clark TV series.
The new continuity would feature an established Superman who'd been operating for a few years .
To further separate the film Lex from the TV version, it was decided Lex would be the mad scientist of the pre crisis era as opposed to the CEO of Superman :The Animated Series and Lois And Clark.
The dual threats would force Batman and Superman to unite , despite their differences , to take on Lex Luthor and The Joker .
The script would including both of the heroes supporting cast with Robin being noticeably absent , though the character would make a brief cameo at the beginning and end of the film.
In the end, the heroes would defeat the two villains , with Lex revealing to Batman and Superman that the two villains had a silent partner who helped Lex revive the Joker.
While the silent partner would remain unknown to the heroes, the audience would get a glimpse of the silent partner, a dying old man , who would be placed in a pit, and become young after emerging from it.
This would be a tease to Ras Al Ghul, setting up a Batman and Superman sequel , and a larger DC film universe.
Casting
Despite on set tensions with Val Kilmer on Forever, the actor would return as The Dark Knight for the Batman and Superman film.
With it's Batman in place , Schumacher went through the arduous task of casting some of the most iconic characters in pop culture.
The roles would be some of the most sought after in Hollywood history.
For the role of The Man Of Steel , Schumacher knew that he wasn't just casting a Superman for his film, but that he would be casting a Superman for future filmmakers to use.
Schumacher wanted a more established actor to play the role to contrast with Kilmer's Batman.
While many actors including William Baldwin auditioned for the part , Schumacher wanted Brendan Fraser , for whom, he felt, had all the elements to play a great Clark Kent and Superman, while at the same time, could credibly stand side by side with the veteran Kilmer, without looking green.
For the role of Lois Lane , several actresses were rumored to be in contention including Courteney Cox, Linda Fiorentino , and Teri Hatcher.
However , Schumacher had one choice in mind, his Time To Kill lead, Sandra Bullock.
For the role of the Joker, Jack Nicholson was out of the question due to the actor's lack of interest, and high salary demand.
While actors as varied as James Woods, Dennis Hopper, and Willem Dafoe were all in contention, it was John Travolta, who had been experiencing a career resonance due to Pulp Fiction, who was cast as the manic and psychotic Joker.
Travolta had demonstrated in films such as Face Off and Broken Arrow a rare talent for playing villainous , yet funny.
Schumacher felt the actor could believably pull off being Nicholson's Joker, while at the same time, bringing his own interpretation to the clown prince of crime.
For the role of Catwoman, Michelle Pfeiffer was also off the table , since Schumacher wanted his Catwoman to be considerably different from Pfeiffer version, and instead, wanted her to hue closer to Newmar's 1966 version ,and to the current animated series.
In the search for Catwoman, several actresses who were consider for the role in Returns a few years earlier, once again sought the part.
However, as with the search for Lois , Schumacher had one actress in mind, his St Elmos Fire lead Demi Moore, who was hot off of a string of hits in the 90s.
For the role of Lex Luthor , Schumacher chose John Malkovich, who had been considered for The Riddler during the Batman Forever casting process.
For the role of Joker's psychotic girlfriend, Schumacher fell in love with The Mask's Cameron Diaz due to her charm , sexiness, and natural comedic talent.
Rounding out the rest of the cast were Ethan Embry as Jimmy Olsen, John Mahoney as Perry White, Michael Gough as Alfred , Chris O'Donnell as a college bound Robin, and a very brief cameo of Danish actor Viggo Mortensen as Ras Al Ghul.
Reception
Going into the release date , there was a massive amount publicity , merchandise, and hype surrounding the film.
There had been much controversy about the recasting of Travolta as Joker and Moore as Catwoman.
There also been had been fan derision at the casting of " Encino Man" as Superman .
However, many fan complaints were put to the side, after the premiere of the World's Finest teaser trailer on Access Hollywood in the Winter of 1997 .
With a film featuring some of the biggest stars of the 90s , and the hope that this would be springboard for a larger DC universe , expectations were high.
When the film was released in June of 1998, the film had one of the biggest openings of the decade.
The film ultimately ended up with a 400 million dollar global haul .
Despite many complaints by fans of the Burton films, the film was a hit with general audiences .
While many critics complained about the amount of characters and the far fetched explanation for Joker's return, Fraser, Travolta, Moore, Bullock, and Diaz ,were all praised for their performances.
The film was to epitome of a 90s blockbuster with it's hit soundtrack , associated music videos, and toys galore.
The films success meant the immediate greenlighting of a solo Superman film , a Batman 5, and a proposed Justice League film.
It could truly be said that Batman and Superman would last forever, and that Wonder Woman, The Flash, and many other DC heroes , would soon follow.
Huge cast (and weird but understandable to have Robin just in a cameo) but I can see Demi Moore yes doing well as a lighter, slightly goofier/more comical take on Catwoman without seeming too out of place with general modern '90s-ness as well as Malkovich, Travolta and Diaz and (while not just using Cain and Hatcher so soon would seem like a bit of a missed opportunity) Fraser and Bullock doing well in those role.
Kevin Spacey does feel very '90s Lex Luthor, particularly for the mogul take, but Malkovich could make the mad scientist version credible and interesting enough.
Realistically, Robin probably would have had a bigger part in the film , particularly after the success of BF , though in my alternate history, it would really made the cast top heavy.
SUPERMAN ( 1999 )
Director : Joe Johnston
Producer : Peter MacGregor Scott
Executive Producer : Joel Schumcaer
Screenplay : Lee And Janet Bachlor Scott
Music : James Horner
Project History
With Warner Brothers viewing the dailies of World's Finest , their praise of Frasier's Superman and Bullock's Lois was through the roof.
Warner Brothers wanted to greenlight a Brenden Fraser Superman film as soon as possible .
Joel Schumacher would shepherd and godfather the project as Executive Producer , and would search for a director to helm the project.
While several directors like Chris Columbus were considered , it was ultimately Jumanji and Rocketeer director Joe Johnston who nabbed the job.
The Scott's would return to handling the writing duties , and Johnston would bring his Rocketeer composer James Horner to score the film.
Filming would begin at a break neck speed soon after competition of World's Finest , with an eye towards a Christmas 1999 release date.
Screenplay
Picking up after the events of WF , the film would see the Man Of Steel confronting the criminal syndicate intergang led by Bruno Manheim , and a pair of its deadliest Metahuman enforcers : Parasite and Livewire , who severely weaken the Man Of Steel , and forcing him to vanish out of sight.
Superman's absence and Clark's sudden disappearing act only add to Lois's growing concern and suspicions , that Clark Kent and Superman, may be one in the same person.
As Clark Kent flees to Smallville to recover , he's followed in quick pursuit by Lois Lane, who begins to unravel the mystery behind her mysterious savior and her awkward work partner.
The film would draw heavily on the Bruce Timm and Paul Dini Superman cartoon , and would showcase many more of Superman's supporting cast which had been absent in prior films.
Additionally The Kent would be alive as in the Animated Series and the recent Lois and Clark show.
The tone of the film would be light hearted much like his Johnston's Rocketeer and Jumanji and would have a similar 1940s sensibility of Rocketeer while grounding the world and technology firmly in the 90s.
In the end, Superman would triumph over his two foes using inventive means , and take down Manheim and his organization.
However , Lois would discover Superman's true identity , but keep the secret to herself , leaving the issue to be resolved in a sequel.
TITANS ( 1998)
Director : Joss Whedon
Producer : Peter MacGregor Scott
Executive Producer : Joel Schumacer
Screenplay : Joss Whedon
Project History
With a Batman and Superman crossover underway , Producer Peter Macgregor Scott expressed interest in developing a Robin solo adventure that would appeal more specifically to teens.
After taking pitches from a variety of screenwriters , Buffy creator Joss Whedon proposed a Titans film instead of a solo Robin film , and ran his pitch by WB Brass.
The studio heads were intrigued by Whedon's vision.
Not only would Robin be essentially the lead of the film, but it would open the door to a wider DC Universe of characters much like their Batman/Superman film in development.
WB gave the go ahead to make a Titans film with Joss Whedon serving as the films director as well as writer.
Like Batman/ Superman, the film would go into production in 1997 for a 1998 release date.
Script
The film would be about the formation of the group of young heroes at Gotham University.
Grayson would arrive at Gotham U , intending on fulfilling his promise to Bruce to attain his degree.
However, he's brought his Robin Suit with him just in case .
His roommate would happen to be GU star football player Victor Stone , pre Cyborg transformation.
At GU , he would meet the Titan members Starfire, Raven, Speedy, Beast Boy , albeit in their alter egos.
The students are all heroes in their own right, but do not know their classmates are also secretly heroes.
Their diverging paths would meet in Professor Crane's Psychology course .
Crane would turn out to be the Scarecrow , a criminal Batman and Robin had been on the trail of , but whose true identity was unknown.
The heroes are brought together after Stone's exposure to fear toxin leads to the fatal football injury, which results in the creation of Cyborg.
Eventually , Robin would discover his classmates are really Superheroes, and despite their personality clashes , the students ,team up with them to hunt down the Scarecrow and bring him to Justice.
Of course, Scarecrow would get the drop on the team by exposing them to his gas , disabling all of them , and subjecting them to horrific visions , and their inner fears.
The frightening encounter would force the group to have to strategize, work as an actual team , and to finally bond as individuals.
Robin's friendship with Cyborg would grow , while Robin and Starfire would develop a burgeoning attraction .
Speedy , the group's gruff rebel, and outsider, would begin to let his guard down, while the cynical and sarcastic Raven would show her more vulnerable side, if only for a moment.
The group would work to create an anecdote to toxin , triumph over the Scarecrow, and would decide to form a team unknown as The Titans
The Cast
Robin / Dick Grayson : Chris O'Donnell
Scarecrow / Professor Jonathan Crane : David Thewlis
AQUAMAN ( 1999)
Director : Stephen Sommers
Producer : Jon Peters
Project History
With The Batman/ Superman and Wonder Woman film, in development , momentum was moving toward a Aquaman feature film.
However , the disappointing performance of Kevin Costner's Waterworld made Warner Brothers uneasy in sinking money into a water related hero, which would also drive up expenses.
If WB was going to gamble an untested hero whose greatest exposure was The Super Friends cartoon, the film would be on a much lower budget than Batman / Superman.
Additionally , the film wouldn't have any house hold names, but instead would be filled with actors who could sign onto multiple films , as opposed to actors like Michael Keaton, who would inevitably require massive salary increases to continue.
Peter MacGregor Scott, who was now serving as Producer on Batman/ Superman, a solo Superman film, and Titans, had his hands full , so Jon Peters took over producing duties.
Peter's loved the sinbad the sailor meets Clash Of The Titans vibe that Aquaman could be , and he wanted to find a director with the sensibility of Harry Hausen .
He turned to Deep Rising director Stephen Sommers to helm the project , though Peters would have a watchful eye on the production much like he had over Burton with the first Batman film.
Filming would commence in Canada to save costs with an eye to a Summer 1999 release date .
Screenplay
Keeping the film under budget , the film would loosely follow Aquaman's comic origins but would not delve deeply into the Kingdom of Atlantis .
While the merlin like and mysterious Vulko would serve as a Mentor, Arthur's love interest of the film would be Mercy Bay coastguard member, and childhood sweethart, Erika Watson.
The film would find Arthur torn between the carefree life he wants , traveling the world, working, and living by his own rules, and the larger destiny that he must fulfill, being the heir to the thrown of Atlantis .
The wayward Arthur has no intention upon fufilling some larger destiny and he does not want to leave Thomas or Erika behind .
The film would ultimately focus on his journey from living life on his own terms, to embracing his destiny as a king and hero.
The two villains of the piece would be has long time comics Foe Black Manta and Manta's Mentor the Corrupt Naval Commander Storm.
When Manta and Storm capture Vulko, the living proof that an unwater civilization exists not far from Mercy Bay, Arthur must swoop into action to rescue his mysterious mentor, and to prevent Mercy Reef from becoming an occupied launching ground for an attack on Atlantis.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ( 2000)
Director : Joel Schumacher
Producer : Peter MacGregor Scott
Screenplay : Joss Whedon
Project History
With The Success of Batman/ Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, Warner Brothers felt confident enough to greenlight the very first theatrical Justice League Film.
It would be one of the biggest undertaking the studio would attempt and for Joel Schumacher, the biggest film he'd ever directed .
Schumacher was always the first choice to direct , and though it would be a challenging shoot at London's Pinewood Studios , in addition to shooting in Los Angeles and New York,
Schumacher was ready and willing to helm the project .
With many of the actors already in place , and Joss Whedon penning the project , the film would be released in the first summer of the new millennium.
Script
The sweeping adventure would have our heroes unite for the first time, in order to face a global threat, posed by Bond- like villains, Maxwell Lord and Talia Al Ghul.
However, the teams roster would be severely limited due to the nature of the threat , and the limit on the budget .
There were also practical limitations on the number of team members as well.
With Tom Cruise still in limbo over returning to the Green Lantern role, and his desire for his film to be set in it's own universe, including an Emerald Knight ,was out of the question.
At the same time , characters like Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl, would require much more backstory than Schumacher and the producers were willing to delve into.
While Green Arrow was briefly considered , he seemed too small scale for the film producers had in mind.
The only hero who would need to be established was Wally West as The Flash ,
To distance the film from the 1990s series, Whedon decided to instead use the current Flash of the comics, West .
West would serve as the greenest member of the group and would serve as providing many of the films one liners.
In terms of villains, characters like Darkseid , would need the type of build up that had not been established yet .
And using the supervillain anti JLA , The Legion Of Doom ,would balloon the budget well over 200 million, and would also require for those villains to have at least appeared in solo films first .
Instead , it was decided to focus on Maxwell Lord and Talia Al Ghul, picking up a hanging thread from the Batman/ Superman movie.
The goal was for the film to be a lean and mean Bondian Adventure, with nuclear weapons, foreign locals, and the threat of World War 3, hanging in the balance .
In the end , Maxwell Lord would die , in Bond villain fashion , and Talia Al Ghul would escape .
Ras Al Ghul would serve a bigger role than in The Batman / Superman film , but would remain as the Blofeld like figure , in the shadows to The Justice Leagues.
Producer's wanted to establish Ras as The group Professor Moriarty , the head of a shadowy empire, who is secretly pulling the strings with his own agenda.
In the end, the team decides that they should form a permanent body , like The United Nations, to respond to global threats ,which a single member alone cannot resolve.
Thus, the film would leave the door open to more members and sequels.
BATMAN : THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS ( 1989)
Director : Paul Verhoeven
Project History
In an alternate history in which Tim Burton is never consider to direct a Batman film , development of the most controversial superhero film to date is filled with drama.
After Michael Uslan's nearly decades worth of attempts to bring a dark and serious Batman film to the big screen, things go in directions he never intended.
As studios ,and directors ,constantly dismiss the notion of a serious Batman film, Producer Jon Peters is alerted to a possible direction the next film could go, The recently Frank Miller series, The Dark Knight Returns, which deals with a middle aged Batman coming out of retirement and clean up Gotham.
Peters likes the idea of skipping the origin stuff, and getting straight to a Batman , whose basically Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson in a mask .
Peters feels the dark ,dystopic, and satirically take on the DC Comic hero was the perfect antidote to changing peoples idea of what Batman is .
While Uslan desires a serious Batman film, he's wary of adapting the ultra dark, and at times ,political story .
Uslan feels that type of Batman film would be a bridge too far in appealing to a mass audience.
However , Peters doesn't listen, and without Peter Guber as a counter weight , Peters mind can't be changed.
Warner Brothers execs, unaware of what The Dark Knight Returns entails, greenlights the project .
Peters then begins his search for a director to bring this grim dystopian vision of Batman to the big screen. Bladerunner's Ridley Scott turns town the opportunity , And John Mctiernan has other commitments.
It's Robocop director Paul Verhoeven who ends up taking the mantle of bring The Dark Knight to the big screen.
The movie films throughout 1988 for a Summer 1989 release date.
Screenplay
The film follows the original comic series closely, with a few notable exceptions.
Green Arrow was absent from the script and the Ronald Reagan like President, was replaced with a fictional , generic American President.
While Peters was willing to push the envelope, he wasn't willing to be explicit including real life political figures
The script is hard edged and definitely rated R filled with cursing, extreme violence, and adult themes .
The screenwriter is told to think more Bladerunner and Omega Man, than to think of Superman The Movie.
The inclusion of Superman in the film version , in the beginning faces pushback from studio execs uneasy with including Superman as a corrupted hero.
However, once Peters makes clear that this is a different universe, and not the Chris Reeve version, the studio , uneasy, allows them to use a new version of Superman.
With the Superboy live action series already on the air, the studio feels more comfortable of introducing yet a third version of the character.
Casting
While the story deals with several of Batman's characters being middle aged, it was decided by Verhoeven to cast actors in their 40s to play 15 years older due to the physicality of the film.
The first actor cast was for the role of Batman.
While Clint Eastwood was considered , Verhoeven instead casts Platoon and The Big Chill actor Tom Berenger in the role of a damaged, middle aged , Batman.
For the role of Joker , Rutger Hauer beat out more convention choices such as James Woods and Willem Dafoe, with the director feeling that Hauer was the mirror image of Berenger.
The part of an aging and washup Selina Kyle went to Romancing The Stone and Body Heat actress , Kathleen Turner .
For the role of the reformed Two Face , Richard Gere , who was considered for Batman , was cast as the troubled DA .
For the role of Carrie Kelly, the teen Robin, Cheryl Pollak was cast .
Stepping into the role of the corrupted Superman, was Footloose actor John Laughlin
Meanwhile Ron Perlman was cast as The Mutant Gang Leader and Bridgette Nielson was cast as Ellen Yindel.
The rest of the cast included Hal Holbrook as Jim Gordon , and John Gielgud as Alfred
The Test Screenings
The first warning signs for the film, came after a series of mixed to negative test screenings, held in Culver City , California .
Test audiences rated the film low, with several either being confused , shocked , offended , and even outraged, at the portrayals of Batman and Superman.
In particular, test audiences asked if Laughlin, who bore a strong resemblance to Christopher Reeve, was supposed to be the Donner Superman.
There was also confusion over whether or not Berenger's Batman was supposed to be Adam West's version, and why Robin was a teenage girl.
Some test audiences were offended by some of the overtly political messages and sexual themes.
The brutal violence of the film was also off putting to test audiences , even though this version had been trimmed to avoid an R rating.
Yet another complaint was that at nearly 3 hours long, the film was far too long.
The negative test screenings shook Warner Brothers , but at this point, it was far too late to reshoot the film, to make it more palatable to an 80s audience.
The most they could do was trim the film as much as possible, to bring the rating, and running time down.
An opening crawl setting up the futuristic Gotham City, and voice over narration by Berenger's Bruce Wayne, was added to clear up confusion brought about by the test screenings,
But ultimately, they were superficial changes which didn't alter the problematic ,end result.
Reception
Despite the slimmer 2 hour and 25 minute , PG 13 rated film, the results of the test screening repeated with the general audience.
Despite a big opening weekend the Summer of 1989, the film ultimately alienated critics ,and audiences alike, both of whom were expecting a much different film.
The film was certainly not for children , and many adults with fond memories of the 60s show, were also turned off by the film.
Ultimately , the film lacked the necessary legs to compete in one of the most competitive Summer movie seasons in Hollywood History.
The film was a disappointment for WB, given the big names involved, and given how potential Batman film could have performed.
It frightened Warner Brothers going into the 90s, when mulling the possibility of making another Batman film.
The film would gain a cult status of diehard fans of the original Frank Miller run ,
And Paul Verhoeven would be praised by many fans for fully realizing the adaptation to the big screen.
The cast would also be praised for their portrayals in the years that followed.
In the early 00s, the 3 hour , Unrated, directors cut was released on DVD complete, with documentaries and extras.
He Stopped A Mastermind He Defeated A General
Now, He'll face Apokolips...
SUPERMAN : PART III ( 1983)
Director : Richard Donner
Producers : Ilya And Alexander Salkind
Screenplay : Tom Mankiewicz and Lawrence Kasdan
Music : John Williams
Project History
Tensions reached new heights between Director Richard Donner and Producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind during the filming of Superman and Superman 2.
Richard Lester ended up finishing Superman 2 due to the creative differences between Donner and the Producers.
However, after the success of Superman 2 , the producers decide to mend fences with Donner , despite their differences.
After Margot Kidder threatens to walk over Donner's ousting, and Gene Hackman also refuses to return without Donner, the Salkinds have a change of heart.
While the producers briefly flirt with the idea of introducing Lana Lang as the love interest and with Lester returning, the producers ultimately realize that it
would be better to continue with Lois as Superman's sole love interest .
Unlike James Bond, Clark Kent has only one true and iconic love interest .
At the same time , they want Donner to helm a serious follow up to the already dramatic Superman 2.
After some back and forth , Donner agrees to helm a 3rd Superman film , with Tom Mankiewicz returning to write the film.
Script
Though the Salkinds originally write a draft dealing with Mr. Mytlpkliz , Brainiac, Supergirl, and time travel , when Mankiewicz is on board , that draft is shelved.
Instead Donner and Mankiewicz look to the modern Superman comics , and decide to pit The Man Of Steel against one of his most formidable and deadly foes,
Darkseid , and his family.
Mankiewicz envisions the film being much more along the lines of Star Wars and Flash Gordon .
Lawrence Kasdan is added as a writer to shape the expansive story , while giving the film an Empire Strikes Back type of seriousness.
The film would be on a much grander scale than the prior two films with Superman traveling to another dimension,
And facing off against a sadistic tyrant bent on robbing Earth of it's natural resources .
Darkseid would present a far greater threat than General Zod , because he threatened the existence of Earth all together.
The world's armies including the USSR would unite with Superman as Earth's last line of Defense should Superman fail to stop Darkseid. Aside from the grand scale and theatrics, the film would deal with Lois and Clark finally coming to terms with their relationship , and with the world potentially ending, Superman would make a commitment to Lois and would not go back on it, this time.
The climax of the film would take place on a the hellish like Planet of Apokolips as Para-demons descend from the skies of Metropolis ., with the fate of humanity and Earth in the hands of Superman and Darkseid in a battle to the death.
Casting
With Reeve , Kidder , and the rest of the supporting casts from Superman 1 and 2, the new roles consisted of Darkseid and his family.
For the Part of Darkseid, Donner chose First Blood actor Brian Dennehy for a acting talent, Charisma, and his imposing screen presence.
Veteran actor George Kennedy was cast as Steppenwolf , with fellow character actress Betsy Palmer as Granny Goodness.
The roles of Kalibak and Bertha were filled by the physically imposing actors Donald Gibb and Faith Minton respectively.
Actor Frank Doubleday was cast as The Glorious Godfrey , while Peter Cushing made a memorable cameo as Desaad.
SUPERMAN LIVES (1999)
Director : Tim Burton
Producer : Jon Peters
Story by : Kevin Smith
Screenplay : Andrew Kevin Walker and Wesley Stick
Project History
After a long road through multiple scripts, screenwriters , and directors, Tim Burton's Superman Lives finally begins to take shape .
Despite the disappointment of Batman and Robin and Steel, WB , nevertheless pushes forward with the project.
With Nicholas Cage firmly in place Shooting begins in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and London's Pinewood Studios throughout 1998 and 1999 , for a Christmas 1999 release date.
Script
The film follows the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday , and monster created by Brainiac.
Superman is eventually revived by the Kryptonian lifeforce K, though he's without his powers and must wear as a restorative suit to survive.
Ultimately Superman must face Brainiac and reclaim his place as Metropolis's protector.
Despite Burton's displeasure with Kevin Smith's draft, he likes the story and enlists Andrew Kevin Walker and Wesley Strick to rewrite the script .
THE CRUSADERS ( 2011)
Director : Christopher Nolan
Producer : Charles Roven and Emma Watson
Screenplay : David Goyer and Johnathan Nolan
Music : Hans Zimmer
Project History
With the smash success of 2008's The Dark Knight, I third Batman film in the Nolan canon was a forgone conclusion.
Bale , and his supporting cast would all return, while David Goyer and Jonathan Nolan would pen the script for a third chapter.
Filming would begin in 2010 for a July 2011 release date.
Script
While Christopher Nolan toyed with the idea of the third film being a finale to the series, and Goyer played with the idea of Bane as the villain, and incorporating story elements from Knightfall,
The Dark Knight Returns, and No Man's Land, in the end , Nolan wasn't quite ready to end his series.
At the very least, he wanted the third film to end in a way that could either things open ended.
Goyer agreed , and it was decided to leave Bane as a potential foe down the line.
Similarly , Warner Brothers was keen on keeping the series going as long as possible and wasn't fond of the idea of a definitive ending yet.
Nolan and Goyer wanted to explore the fallout of the Joker's reign of terror , and his inspiration of a "freak uprising" of the new breed of criminal , and how this freak uprising would topple Gotham society.
Thus establishing the need for a watchful protector .
While Batman would still be an enemy of law enforcement, and Gordon would be under investigation by Internal Affairs detective Sarah Essen, the toppling of law and order in Gotham by the freaks would shift the immediate priorities of law enforcements.
This ruin of Gotham's corrupt elite, organized crime, and institutions , would be led by the mysterious Riddler .
The Gotham underworld would fall under the control the freak known as The Penguin, with Falcone's two remaining children the last hold outs of the old ways.
Meanwhile , the mysterious Catwoman, with a connection to the Falcone family would be an ambiguous benefactor to the chaos, whom challenges Bruce's beliefs about Law and Justice.
At the same time, Batman would have an unlikely ally in a street kid whose inspired by The Batman and has taken to facing off against the new forces unleashed by the freaks on Gotham.
The goal of the film would be to establish The Batman , and now Robin ,as the city's true protectors , with the truth about Harvey Dent eventually being revealed by The Riddler.
The film would end with the door open to sequels but could function as an end chapter to the origin of the Batman we know.
Casting
In casting for the new film, Nolan looks to several actors of Inception to fill out the crucial roles.
Leonardo DiCaprio is a favorite for the Riddler and receives the encouragement and support of WB for the part.
Tom Hardy is cast as an Al Capone -like Mob boss version of the Penguin.
For the role of Catwoman, Nolan turns to Anne Hathaway .
For the role of Robin , Nolan casts actor Logan Lerman , due to his lighthearted contrast to Christian Bale.
The role of the Falcone siblings Alberto and Sofia, go to Inception's Joseph Gordon Levitt and Marion Cottillard.
While the role of IA Detective Sarah Essen goes to Toni Collette .
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